Friday, March 31, 2017

The final communique of the Arab Summit, concluded Wednesday in Amman...read by Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit,...voiced rejection of all unilateral Israeli measures aimed at altering the legal and historical status of Muslim and Christian holy shrines in occupied Jerusalem.

King Abdullah, whose dynasty has custodianship over Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, said any unilateral Israeli move to change the status quo in the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque would have "catastrophic" consequences for the future of the region.

I am just wondering.What would be the reaction if Israel, say, at a Zionist Congress (not at AIPAC, they'd never go for this), would declare:

Israel rejects all unilateral Arab actions and measures that were aimed at altering the legal and historical status of Jewish holy shrines in Jerusalem they occupied after invading and conquering the country in 638 CE?

And it is within a bloc of communities: Shiloh, Achiyah, Esh Kodesh, Adei-Ad & Keida. And the site, currently Geulat Tzion, has been inhabited for a while by a few families and all its land is state land, not private, officially declared so three decades ago.

EP pointed out to me that almost all the headlines of the main media outlets are that Israel 'approves first new settlementin 20 years' (here: here; here; here; here; here; here;).But haven't we been informed for years that there were thousands of "new settlements" every week - via Peace Now, etc.?

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

The settlement movement is not about to take over AIPAC or the U.S. pro-Israel community any time soon. But it did manage to seize control of a couple hours of Policy Conference, at least for some tiny but vocal minority of the confab’s participants.On Monday afternoon, the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization representing Jewish communities in the West Bank, held an event at a rented space on F Street, about a half-mile away from the convention center. It wasn’t really counter-programming—none of the half-dozen speakers that I stayed for criticized AIPAC in their talks. But it was at least concurrent programming.About half the attendees wore Policy Conference lanyards, with a few red Congress Club ribbons scattered among the crowd. Views of the lobby itself tended to be mixed. For some, AIPAC isn’t pro-settlement enough. Marc Provisor, a Policy Conference attendee and activist from the West Bank settlement of Shiloh, said he is “proud of AIPAC,” but still thinks it’s less accepting of the settlers’ perspectives than it should be. “AIPAC has to be open to all sides of Israel rather than being limited,” he said. What’s needed in discussions of Israel, he said, is “informed opinion, rather than manipulated opinion.” Others were less generous. “My sense is that AIPAC wants to do what’s good for the two-state solution…and the two-state solution is the property of people who say Israel is an occupier,” one attendee told me me.Although he didn’t mention AIPAC by name, Yishai Fleisher, a spokesperson for Hebron’s Jewish community, implied that the Yesha Council event was carrying out the kind of messaging work that other groups were either unwilling or unable to do. “You can’t answer ‘You stole someone’s land’ with ‘We invented a cell phone.’ The answer is, ‘It’s our ancestral homeland and we’re going to hold onto it’” he told me—a line he then repeated almost verbatim for a packed room a few moments later, while introducing the afternoon’s speakers.

The event drew about 1oo people, meaning the vast majority of Policy Conference’s 18,000 participants were somewhere else at the time. But the speaking lineup included prominent Israeli political figures: Housing minister Yoav Gallant, New York consul general Dani Dayan, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben Dahan, and regional cooperation minister Tzachi Hanegbi all spoke, giving the gathering a higher-powered roster than all but a few of the actual AIPAC breakouts happening during the same time period.Policy conference largely deals within areas of broad agreement—at the plenary sessions, Israeli policy in the West Bank is usually discussed indirectly or in passing. At the Yesha event, with its promises of like-minded people and free kosher sushi, supporters of the settlement movement didn’t have to hide behind the requirements of maintaining shalom bayit within the broader pro-Israel movement. The Israeli speakers spoke a little more freely than they might have in front of a more diverse or more skeptical English-speaking audience: “We’re at half a million now. We need to get to one million settlers,” Hotovely said. Dayan boasted that the settler population increased by 40 percent during his six years as head of the Yesha Council. “If that’s not my entrance ticket to Gan Eden,” he quipped, “I don’t know what is.” Gallant, a retired IDF general, called his settlement advocacy “a correction” after a career partly dedicated to destroying things in battle.

Official Policy Conference events can have a dour, perfunctory feel to them at times, partly because of the inevitably dulling and anonymizing effect of any long and crowded event, and partly because of the speakers’ finely honed instinct for staying within the AIPAC consensus. The Yesha meetup was far outside of that consensus, giving the proceedings a freer and slightly raucous feel. “Let’s give it up for Judea and Samaria!” Fleisher happily bellowed before introducing Gallant. Fleisher was in a buoyant mood—the settlement movement had gotten its point across, asserting its presence during the biggest pro-Israel event of the year. “Our people could have only dreamed about eating Sushi at a Yesha event in DC 2,000 years ago,” he said between speakers. “And it was good sushi! Maybe we’ll eat sushi at the third temple. Korban sushi.”

Monday, March 27, 2017

"The writer, expert in biology, asks: why a Congress Representative would act "in support of the settlement enterprise".Well, that has a long history. We could start with President John Adams who thought in a 1808 letter to Dutch Patriot leader and American immigrant François Adriaan van der Kemp that "I will insist the Hebrews have [contributed] more to civilize men than any other nation. If I was an atheist and believed in blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations" and added in a 1819 letter to Mordechai Noah that "I could find it in my heart to wish that you had been at the head of a hundred thousand Israelites indeed as well disciplined as a French Army-& marching with them into Judea & making a conquest of that country & restoring your nation to the dominion of it. For I really wish the Jews again in Judea an independent nation.'

In 1922, Congress approved of the Mandate for Palestine to reconstitute the historic Jewish National Home which, at that time, included Judea, Samaria and even Gaza in its territory. In 1924, Congress authorized the Anglo-American Convention for Palestine which also included that territory, with special emphasis on American citizens' rights. There are at least 30,000 American citizens living in the Judea & Samaria communities, excluding Jerusalem (see below).

Further, to "What U.S. or Missouri interests are served by this pro-settler activism?", I could add that economic interests of local industries are a possible factor as well as extending American values to the area for Jews and Christians and Muslims just like other foreign aid programs. Check the FB page of the US Consulate in Jerusalem to see how much taxpayer dollars go for "Palestinian Arabs". Also, Israel's security is well served by a Jewish presence in the hills overlooking Israel. Remove that and regional stability collapses.

And as for "Is she even serving the interests of American Jews, the majority of whom oppose the settlements while supporting Israel?" well, she is and I doubt the majority do oppose "the settlements" but simply want peace. Don't forget, "settlements" for Arabs and maybe Jews like the write also include 205,000 Jews who live in post-1967 Jerusalem neighborhoods. They are to be ethnically cleansed just like the Jews who lived in Judea, Samaria and Gaza were cleansed by Arabs during 1920-1948?

Following the publication of statistics on the population figures for the Jews resident in Judea and Samaria as per this report

The complete West Bank Jewish Population Stats report was released today with data updated to January 1, 2017. The report is available to the public in English via the mailing list at the West Bank Jewish Population Stats website.The West Bank Jewish Population Stats report is compiled each year by Former Member of Knesset Yaakov “Ketzaleh” Katz based on precise data from the population registry in Israel’s Ministry of the Interior. As of January 1, 2017, according to the report, 420,899 Jews live in West Bank towns, not including the some 300,000 Jewish residents of the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem, which are technically part of the West Bank as well.

Missing may be Maaleh Hazeitim and Kidmat Tzion with Har Hazeitim. But that would be around 500 so let's round off at 205,000.

The average yearly growth of the Jewish population, found here, seems for past 5 years to be 1.42.

That would provide a total approximate figure of 208,000 Jews residing in the post-1967 Jerusalem neighborhoods which the Arabs and the UN declares territory slated for a future Arab state in the former area of the Palestine Mandate.____________UPDATEIt is now being reported as "over 200,00" for Jerusalem

R. Abbahu said that R. Eleazar said: The fire of Gehinnom has
no power over the Scholars. It is an ad majus conclusion [to be drawn] from the salamander.* If now
[in the case of] the salamander, which is [only] an offspring of fire, he who anoints himself with its
blood is not affected by fire, how much more so the Scholars, whose whole body is fire, for it is
written [Jer. 23, 29]: "Is not My word like as fire? saith the Lord".

Resh Lakish said. The fire of Gehinnom has
no power over the transgressors of Israel.

A fabulous animal generated in fire which, according to the Midrash, must burn incessantly for seven days and
nights; but Rashi here postulates seven years, and the Aruch (s.v.) seventy years. For a fun account of the legend, v. J. E.
vol. X, pp. 646-7

As is the custom, I wear a tallit katan, vernacularly know as "tzitzit", under my shirt.Today, something rather unique happened (although it may have happened to me previously some decades ago I think).I usually dress in our darkened bedroom (wake-up for me is 5:20 as shacharit is at 6) but go into another room to select a shirt. Which is what I did this morning.It was there that I discovered I had managed to do this:

For those wondering what the "this" is: I seem to have slipped my belt through the part of the tzitzit that connects the fringes to the actual material that creates a four-cornered garment.

Wonders of wonders.

It meant, however, that I had to reloop myself so as to put on my camera and cellphone.

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Each party will provide freedom of access to places of religious and historical significance.

In this regard, in accordance with the Washington Declaration, Israel respects the present special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Muslim Holy shrines in Jerusalem. When negotiations on the permanent status will take place, Israel will give high priority to the Jordanian historic role in these shrines.

The Parties will act together to promote interfaith relations among the three monotheistic religions, with the aim of working towards religious understanding, moral commitment, freedom of religious worship, and tolerance and peace.

Jordan is not fulfilling its responsibilities.Consider these headlines in the official Petra News Agency I found in a search:

That language and terminology violates the treaty.Will Israel's government call in Jordan's Ambassador to convey a reprimand or a note of dissatisfaction?^

Gideon Levy has a pro-firebomber piece in Haaretz. It drips empathy for the terrorist.Okay, he doesn't suggest outright that Arabs throw fire-bombs at IDF soldiers of Israeli civilians but he does attack the army's attempts to protect themselves and Israel's civilians.He claims the attacker who was killed outside of Bet El, Murad Abu Razi, was shot in the back (although Levy's actual words are "The soldiers shot at them from behind") and

He was obviously not endangering the soldiers as he fled.

Obviously? Did they know he did not have a gun and maybe would have turned and fire at them?Although the post-mortem examination found

that he had been shot with one bullet that entered his back and exited via the chest, on the left side

I won't attempt to argue whether at the time, early evening when the visibility is not perfect, Abu Razi perhaps had also been seen at an angle, turning to his left, rather than at a 90-degree angle, But I will say that the shot that killed him obviously save a Jewish life in the future.The dead youth was a terrorist. He refused at least two attempts to dissuade him from throwing the firebomb. He was a ticking firebomber.There are no moral doubts.Would that his death convince other youths to leave the path of terror.^

Friday, March 24, 2017

Language is always an issue in social contact and discourse, especially in diplomacy.

For example, instead of "concerns" here:

Joint readout on the United States-Israeli ConsultationsTHE WHITE HOUSEOffice of the Press SecretaryFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 23, 2017Senior-level United States and Israeli delegations concluded today four days of intensive discussions...The two delegations also discussed Israeli settlement construction, following up on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to Washington and Mr. Greenblatt’s recent visit to Israel. The United States delegation reiterated President Trump’s concerns regarding settlement activity in the context of moving towards a peace agreement. The Israeli delegation made clear that Israel’s intent going forward is to adopt a policy regarding settlement activity that takes those concerns into consideration. The talks were serious and constructive, and they are ongoing.

An IDF soldier, Elor Azariah, shot dead a neutralized terrorist in Hebron last year.After stabbing a soldier, the terrorist was wounded, seriously, and then Azariah, claiming he felt threatened by perceived movement by the terrorist, shot him dead. It sent off a storm in Israel, politicians' declarations, and a trial.What happened in London on Wednesday?A terrorist rammed dozens of pedestrians, stabbed a policemen (who died), was shot and seriously wounded.But was he shot after wounded and on the ground? By two policemen?

P.S.And yes, I am, aware that some 10 minutes passed between the downing of the Hebron terrorist and Azariah's shot, unlike the incident in London.But morally, it doesn't make a difference. The terrorist was down and need not have been shot again, if that indeed was the case.^

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Now, most Jews and many non-Jews know that the Purim story involves Jews defending themselves from a state-sponsored program of elimination, eradication and extirpation.It cannot be compared to supremacist radical Islamism killing non-Muslims in a terror campaign that has no rhyme nor reason.He later attempted to link his remarks in a smug fashion to the Israeli administration of portions of the Land of Israel not (yet) under full sovereignty:

(Added paragraph below)What Beinart does in that tweet is mask that a) the Pals. are the ones who have been avoiding closing a deal, since 1993's Oslo Accords including Clinton Parameters, Netanyahu's construction moratorium, Olmerts's and Livni's swaps, etc.; b) ignoring that there is a security aspect in Israel's administration; c) that so-called "occupation" is legal in that it responded to a war of aggression in a defensive fashion.Beinart, besides exploiting anti-Semitic tropes against his ideological foes and misrepresenting Zionism in his poorly researched book, see here and here, is now turning Judaism upside-down.For that, he truly deserves the Dumb Jew Award.^

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Hundreds of Liquor Bottles belonging to British Soldiers from World War I were Exposed near RamlaThe surprising find was discovered in excavations of the Israel Antiquities Authority prior to the construction of Highway 200, which was initiated and financed by the Netivei Israel Company

An unexpected discovery was made a few weeks ago in an archaeological excavation of the Israel Antiquities Authority conducted in the vicinity of Ramla. Together with flint tools that are 250,000 years old from the Middle Palaeolithic period, archaeologists were astounded to find a fascinating reminder from the First World War that included, among other things, hundreds of liquor bottles that are 100 years old. These were found near a building where British soldiers were garrisoned during the war.

According to Ron Toueg, excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "...We exposed a building whose upper part was not preserved, which was apparently the foundations of a barracks...Inside the building we discovered dozens of uniform buttons, belt buckles, parts of riding equipment, and other artifacts that were the property of the British soldiers. The building caught fire and collapsed for a reason which at this point is unclear. The place where the soldiers discarded debris was revealed just a few meters from the building. We were surprised to discover that along with broken crockery and cutlery there was an enormous number of soft drink and liquor bottles. In fact, about 70% of the waste that was discarded in the refuse pit were liquor bottles. It seems that the soldiers took advantage of the respite given them to release the tension by frequently drinking alcohol”.

...According to Sary Mark, an architect, conservator and an authority on the British army’s occupation of the area, “On November 15, 1917 the Egyptian Expeditionary Force under the command of General Allenby conquered the area around the towns of Lod and Ramla. Before occupying Jerusalem the army encamped in the area where the archaeological excavation took place: the headquarters at Bir Salam – Ramla Camp and Sarafand Camp. The army was based there for about nine months until a decision was made to continue the conquest of the country further north. The building that was discovered in the excavation was used by the British soldiers, and it is rare authentic evidence and the first of its kind of the day-to-day life of the expeditionary forces for a very brief period during the First World War”.

Monday, March 20, 2017

As critical as I am of Israel’s unconscionable oppression of and violence toward Palestinians, I have never accused Israel of practicing apartheid. But there is absolutely no justification for the UN suppressing an official report issued by one of the regional offices of the Economic and Social Council — particularly in response to pressure from the object of that report (and its chief enabler). Nor is this the first time the UN has bowed to Israeli pressure...

Comments were commented and I caught something he wrote:

Amazingly, I have spent far more than 10 minutes in Ramallah — days, actually — with Palestinians who knew full well that I’m Jewish, and yet I somehow lived to tell the tale…

Drake...Your response to Yisreal is weird. Drawing a line from “expressing less than favorable views” to ” referring to their children as “little snakes” is bizarre. You are also being quite dishonest when you say you quoted Shaked in her “own words”. Those were not her “own words” and you ignore the context. It is also irrelevant to the discussion here, but I can see why you want to change the subject.

Kevin Jon HellerI get it. It’s tired and pathetic, but I get it — everyone who criticises Israel is, by dint of their criticism, biased. Only those who defend Israel are objective. The myopia is staggering, but it’s entirely predictable.

Yisrael MedadThe really weird matter is that in writing “Yes, nothing demonstrates prejudice quite like quoting high-ranking Israel officials’ own words…”, KJH was either misconstruing what I had referred to or didn’t quite grasp it.

I had written “Can a Jew or even a Christian expressing less than favorable views about Palestinians be as free in Ramallah or try Hebron or, better, Shchem/Nablus?” and he refers to the most extremist instance of Ayelet Shaked’s remarks (and I won’t get into whether they were her words, quoted or whether she apologized or not for that is not the point). From my “less than favorable” to her “snakes” is a trick that a law professor should not be engaged in.

Unlike Kumar, I do think he has control of brain and limbs. Or, to be a university professor, he should. His frothing and ranting on political and ideological issues are unseemly.

Saturday, March 18, 2017

After years of following the Facebook page of the United States Consulate Facebook page and noting that despite perhaps 1,000,000 Hebrew readers in the area over which it supervises it does not appear in Hebrew, only English and Arabic.I now see that one post, only one post, has appeared also in Hebrew:

Maybe Jason Greenblatt's presence was a help?

The next days' posts reverted to the Hebrew-exclusion policy.

Three hours later they posted about

an introductory course on the TOEFL test at America House Ramallah. This will be a 5 - week class and will prepare you for ALL four areas of the TOEFL testing reading, writing, listening and speaking! The deadline for application is Sunday 19th.

“Besides being part of the global cultural heritage, the Dead Sea Scrolls represent an essential component of the religious and cultural heritage of Palestine and Jordan...An objective study of these texts would help us better understand the historical roots of the three main religions of the region... and the relationships between them.” What is needed is an objective study of the texts, “away from any agendas that seek to use these ancient texts to claim modern religious and political rights on the ground, in Palestine and in the region”

I checked. While "Hebrew" is mentioned, "Jews" or "Jewish" are not."Objective study"?(h/t=HH)^

Friday, March 17, 2017

How [can there be a treaty] while, if they gain dominance over you, they do not observe concerning you any pact of kinship or covenant of protection? They satisfy you with their mouths, but their hearts refuse [compliance], and most of them are defiantly disobedient.

And if they break their oaths after their treaty and defame your religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief, for indeed, there are no oaths [sacred] to them; [fight them that] they might cease.

Would you not fight a people who broke their oaths and determined to expel the Messenger, and they had begun [the attack upon] you the first time? Do you fear them? But Allah has more right that you should fear Him, if you are [truly] believers.

Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them and satisfy the breasts of a believing people

The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and establish prayer and give zakah and do not fear except Allah , for it is expected that those will be of the [rightly] guided.

Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled.

The Jews say, "Ezra is the son of Allah "; and the Christians say, "The Messiah is the son of Allah ." That is their statement from their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved [before them]. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded?

They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah , and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.

And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allah is with the righteous [who fear Him].

I use Palestinianism to describe a phenomenon of an Arab people who never in history shared any specific national identity characteristics that would set them off and make them a special case as a "people". See here, and also here, for example, and also here for Bat-Yeor.Palestinianism is

self-mythologising [as in the case of] Palestinianism...the ideology which suggest there is a nationalism for a group of Arabs-who-refer-to-themselves-as-'Palestinians' and which, at its essence, denies the existence of a Jewish People, with its history, religion, culture and history who possess an historic homeland.

No defined national homeland.So-called national homeland never existed as a political or even an administrative entity.The name "Palestine" came from the Roman rule over the Land of Israel after 135 CE, although previously a region by that name did exist but was not applied to what is know as Palestine today, whereas Judea was.Arabs have a non-Arabic name for their national homeland. Really?Now see this I caught (red from bottom up):

About Me

American born, my wife and I moved to Israel in 1970. We have lived at Shiloh together with our family since 1981. I was in the Betar youth movement in the US and UK. I have worked as a political aide to Members of Knesset and a Minister during 1981-1994, lectured at the Academy for National Studies 1977-1994, was director of Israel's Media Watch 1995-2000 and currently, I work at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. I was a guest media columnist on media affairs for The Jerusalem Post, op-ed contributor to various journals and for six years had a weekly media show on Arutz 7 radio. I serve as an unofficial spokesperson for the Jewish Communities in Judea & Samaria.